Hi,
I'm a 60 year old male who is mostly a runner/biker but who also swims. Typically I swim once a week for 2000 yds. Well, recently I hurt my back and so swimming was my only option. Apparently I ramped up too quickly, and after 3 weeks was swimming every other day, for about 1800 yds per swim. Last Sunday, I noticed a slight pull feeling in my inner left elbow area. I paid little heed to it. It happened again on my swim Tuesday but like Sunday, it didn't bother me and it didn't last. Then on Friday, I noticed a pinchy feeling in the same area. It didn't get worse during the swim but I certainly took notice.
Afterwards, I noticed some discomfort in the area. It's by the knobby bone of the inner elbow. If I run my finger along the tendon into the upper arm, it feels like a little pinchy. The area just below, into the forearm doesn't hurt but feels a little tight. The pain is not bad, but I'm certainly not going to try to swim.
Does this sound like golfer's elbow? Has anyone experienced this kind of pain/sensation?
The funny thing is that usually if I ramp up too quickly, I get pain in my left shoulder. I was pretty careful to monitor that, and even did some left shoulder icing after my swims. So my left shoulder never acted up.
Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice you can give me.
Bob P
One of the most likely stroke faults a new swimmer does is pressing down with the hand vs pushing water backwards with the hand. Because pressure is felt on the palm the swimmer can't believe he is pushing down vs backwards. This puts added pressure on both the elbow and shoulder. It seems your elbow is the joint that gave way first. If you visualize it the elbow id put in a similar position of a tennis serve which is a known elbow stressor. As stated elsewhere please get someone to look at your stroke and especially your catch. Make sure your elbow is higher than your hand/wrist and your fingers are pointed down at the pool bottom before a lot of pressure is applied backwards.
One of the most likely stroke faults a new swimmer does is pressing down with the hand vs pushing water backwards with the hand. Because pressure is felt on the palm the swimmer can't believe he is pushing down vs backwards. This puts added pressure on both the elbow and shoulder. It seems your elbow is the joint that gave way first. If you visualize it the elbow id put in a similar position of a tennis serve which is a known elbow stressor. As stated elsewhere please get someone to look at your stroke and especially your catch. Make sure your elbow is higher than your hand/wrist and your fingers are pointed down at the pool bottom before a lot of pressure is applied backwards.
